Today, it’s difficult to keep customers’ loyalty. While it may take years to earn loyalty from a single customer, it takes only minutes to lose it. Your dealership may have multiple tactics for creating customer loyalty, from rewards programs to amazing customer service and luxury amenities. But one concept that earns and maintains customer loyalty is setting realistic expectations for your customers, then consistently delivering on those commitments.
For example, if a dealership promotes a 30-minute oil change through their quick lube service, customers will anticipate a 30-minute or less service visit. The business set the expectation, and if they fail to deliver on their promise, it’s much harder for a consumer to trust the dealership’s word in the future.
An element of providing realistic expectations to your customers is being honest. Always be honest with your customers, regardless of what their reaction to the truth may be. If your advisors don’t know the answer to a customer’s inquiry, recommend they be transparent about it. Auto repairs and regular maintenance take time, and most customers will understand that reality. If you and your advisors are being factual and courteous towards the customer, you will maintain steady and trustworthy relationships and gain dealership loyalty.
Service advisors normally have a good grasp on how to manage your service schedule. If they give the same time frame anytime a customer asks, they could be setting an expectation they simply cannot deliver on, affecting the dealership’s customer loyalty.
Will you lose some service recommendations because of an extended timeline? Possibly. But you won’t lose a customer or create an unhappy one. In fact, what you will accomplish is a trusting relationship between your dealership and the customers it services. You’ve proven you’re dependable and gained dealership loyalty.
In addition, with each successful visit, it becomes easier to upsell service. A loyal customer will bring more revenue to your service department over their lifetime than a customer who has a poor experience because of unrealistic expectations.
To conclude, being honest and upfront about service details, prices, wait times, etc., is the secret to earning and preserving customer loyalty and skyrocketing your revenue.